CHAPTER 5
At breakfast Hal told Annie, "Paris and I are going off somewhere today is that okay?"
"Why are you asking me Hal?"
"He's just been polite," Paris said, guessing what was on Hal's mind. "He's wishing to add to my Montana experiences."
Annie smiled and wished them a great time.
As they drove off in Hal's SUV Paris said, "Annie really did wish us well."
"Well okay she did but she has no idea what we are planning to do."
"I didn't either until you mentioned it. I'm dressed for shopping so Annie will know why we are going without her."
"To buy a ring."
"Yes, what else would we go off to buy without taking her with us?"
"Oh crap. She knows."
"Hal you know she already knows."
"Christ women. Will Bozeman do or even the Falls if you wish? You haven't been up there."
"Well normally I would be please to shop locally but Billings please."
"Billings!"
"Hal you'd ride twenty miles to attend a sick cow. Surely going to Billings to please me is not too onerous."
"Oh yeah, Billings it is."
"I'll pay for the gas and for the ring if all this expense is biting you."
The vehicle ploughed off the gravel access road experiencing two heavy bumps but they returned to the formed road without any apparent harm done.
"When Hal Harrop says he's taking his sweetheart to Billings to buy her an engagement ring that's what Hal Harrop does and no one else pays anything."
"Oh Hal, my hero."
"Gawd shut up Paris. You've had me off the track already."
"Yes darling," Paris said giggling.
They had a great day once Hal relaxed and stopped looking at his watch. Paris looked carefully and returned to the third store they'd visited and selected a ring with small diamonds set flatly into the surface of the platinum. Hal wanted a big diamond that stood out until Paris said, "What if I decide to ride out wearing my ring? I don't want to have to take it off every time I do something?"
"Oh very practical. That ought to save insurance claims."
They returned homewards and stopped off just on dark at a restaurant in Bozeman after Paris had earlier called Alice to say they would be doing that, although she'd not discussed it with Hal. He would have only said no.
"I've had almost the perfect day," Hal said, finishing his third beer and looking at his watch.
"That's lovely Hal and don't fret, I'll have you back on to the ranch without it being beyond midnight."
The party was held two Sunday later. Paris had asked for an advanced weather report and Alice said the weather would be fine but still a little chilly.
Alice asked, "How many will I be catering for?"
"Um twenty guests, I'll ask Lisa to have the twins home. Oh plus the boys."
"Tell Lisa that and she'll know about your engagement."
Turning very bright pink Paris looked Alice directly in the eye and said, "Then I'll make Lisa promise to keep her mouth shut."
"Lady, you have become damn tough since you've been here," Alice said. "Aren't you going to tell me?"
"No."
"Damn tough. You could have earned an Academy Award for such great acting, keeping such a straight face under pressure."
"Perhaps I've learned from you when you tell me stories how wicked the Army soldiers were and how the various tribes of Indians were so gloriously brave when they sat in peaceful protests when they were confronted by sabers and rifles and artillery."
Annie roared with laughter and said, "You clever little bitch seeing through Indian propaganda. I ought to swat you."
"Not if you wish to retain your teeth and have your breasts remain on your chest."
"Oh, as I said, a tough-sounding little bitch," Annie chortled.
They hugged and kissed and Annie whispered, "Congratulations and I mean that deeply. You are so wonderful for him."
Of course everyone invited guessed what this was about. Why else would Hal be inviting people formally, in an invitation signed by Hal but in a women's handwriting to a cookout with no real warmth in the sun yet?
So they all turned up with engagement presents.
The twins arrived excitedly and grabbed Paris's hand asking to see the ring.
"Christ Lisa," Paris frowned.
"I didn't tell a soul, not even David, truly. If you wanted to keep the secret it was a dumb thing to do to have a cookout so early in the season and issuing a formal invitation with pretty spring flowers on the cover and carrying Hal's forged signature. Hal like all men around here wouldn't have a clue what a formal invitation was and even if the did they certainly wouldn't send out pretty cards smelling of a woman's perfume."
"Oh crap, I best sneak over to Hal and tell him I fouled up although he's implicated because he told me to go ahead with the invitations."
"He know darling," Lisa smiled, looking behind Paris who turned and grinned, watching arriving guys slap Hal on the back and pumping his arm and women piling presents on to the table beside the beer table.
The boys trooped over and dutifully congratulated Paris who had two of the three saying 'Shucks' when she kissed them.
A couple of hours later Hal had everyone laughing helplessly when in great seriousness he stuck to his prepared speech that began, "Friends and the boys and to anyone else not thinking those two tags covered them. We are gathered here today for me to make the surprise announcement that the beautiful Paris and I have decided to marry and this occasion is to celebrate our engagement and for you all to witness me placing the ring on Paris's finger."
When he finished Merle Cook the accountant called out, "When's the wedding?"
Hal smiled, "August of course. All our hay will be in by then. It will be in New York and all of you visitors here today will be invited to attend, at your own expense of course."
"New York?" Paris cried. "But we hadn't discussed venue?"
"I asked Alice this morning where will I be married and she said New York."
Paris shrugged helplessly. "Oh, then no problem. That's where it's meant to be. My mom will have wanted it in New York anyway."
When the Withers family was leaving Lisa came up to Paris with Marcie and said, "Marcie would like a few words."
"Marcie," Paris said clutching the 19-year-old. "We are friends. You can ask me anything without having to use your mom as an intermediary."
"Well this is different. I wrote to thank you for those books that were sent to my college and we have switched to using 'Meg's Rainbow's End' in class studies and I'm so proud of you. Our instructor on fiction writing Miss Ryan wants even more. She's asked me to invite you to address our class."
"I've told Meg that that it's too much to ask because the girls go to my old university in Colorado and..."
"I'd be happy to do that Marcie. I deserve a break and would like to stay a couple of days and have a look around.
"Oh Paris thanks," Marcie said, kissing her. I will ask Miss Ryan to give some dates and times. I'm off to tell Bella."
"Why don't you come with me Lisa and be my tour guide?"
"Well I was just thinking about that. Yes this could be fun."
Hal thought it was a good idea and convinced Paris to spend a week there and get in some decent skiing. "I guess you do ski, we've never discussed it?"
"Yes I do."
"Good, Lisa will like that because she's a crack skier. Try to time your chat late in the week and get the twins released from college at the weekend to go skiing with you."
They did that and the time away brought the two women very close together, Paris discovering the older woman was missing female company now the twins were at college. Paris convinced her when her current live-in housekeeper left Lisa ought to try to get one with drive and personality like Alice.
"Yes I'd thought along those lines. But who with brains would want to come out here into the wide open spaces?"
"Perhaps a woman with brains?"
"Ah Paris, you are unflaggingly positive. I'll have to talk on the phone more with you and we must look at going shopping once a month, I mean real shopping."
David met the two women at the airport and Paris called Hal and asked him to come down to the mailbox to meet her.
"And don't you dare send one of the boys."
"Christ no. I've missed you terribly and have been a pain in the butt to everyone."
Paris smiled. They had not communicated since she'd left, at her suggestion. She lied that she wanted a real break but the truth was she wished to test Hal to allow him to think about what place she had in his life."
When they began driving towards the ranch house Paris said, "So you missed me. You missed screwing I bet? Well some of the heifers look pretty."
Hal didn't bite. He just turned and smiled and said it wasn't about sex. "It's about you. I missed you presence. Our house sings when you are around. I missed your touch, your sounds, your softness, your applied perfume, the smell of your cosmetics, your clothes over the floor, the happy sound of you splashing in the bath. Oh I missed you."
"Oh darling. Stop and we can have sex right now."
"No it's okay. Tonight will be fine. I feel ever so good having you next to me again."
"I was only away seven days Hal?"
"I know and not long enough to get over missing you."
Gawd, Paris thought. She'd uncovered a seam of sensitivity she hadn't even suspected existed.
When they went to bed that night Hal pretended he didn't want sex. Paris had lifted a bare boob and clucked, "Here boy" and her prevaricating lover claimed he was more interested in being against her warm body and hugging her. Paris didn't worry. She knew this stance wouldn't last and she smiled when Hal, kissing her hair and snuggled in against her back, had to pull a hand off her boob to attend to a growing erection doubled over against her thigh and paining him.
Although the bedcovers were heavy she lifted her uppermost leg and whispered, "Put it in". There was no excuse, no protest. Hal went almost straight in and with a big sigh was honest enough to confess, "I really missed this."
"Oooh."
Afterwards as they were slipped into exhausted sleep he grunted, "I don't mind if you come off the pill."
